Snap Originals Are Short Snapchat TV Shows

Watching TV shows on your smartphone may not sound like a good idea, but more people are doing exactly that. Whether it’s YouTube videos or Netflix Originals, people seem happy to watch video content on their slightly-too-small smartphone screen.

This has led Snapchat to commission original programming for its platform. And shows such as ESPN’s SportsCenter and NBC’s Stay Tuned are racking up millions of views. Buoyed by this success, Snapchat is getting a dozen new Snap Originals…

How to Watch Snap Originals

These Snap Originals are essentially short TV shows made exclusively for Snapchat. Which means they’re all around five minutes long, all filmed vertically, and all designed to make the most of the platform they’re being shown on.

This means there will be new episodes released every day, and Lenses and Filters released for each show. There will also be Show Portals, which let you step inside scenes from the shows. There will, unfortunately, also be unskippable ads to sit through.

The first Snap Originals to be released are Co-Ed, a new comedy about life at college, Class of Lies, a thriller about true crime podcasters who find themselves investigating a crime, and Endless Summer, a documentary series about Laguna Beach.

Those first three Snap Originals are available to watch right now, with another nine due to debut in the coming months. To find the shows, either search Snapchat for them by name, or open the Discover tab, which will soon have a dedicated section for shows.

Will Snap Originals Succeed or Fail?

With more people seemingly happy to watch video on their smartphone, Snapchat is right to try and take advantage of this trend. However, the success or failure of Snap Originals will ultimately come down to the content, so let’s hope these shows are actually good.